This is an exciting time in higher education when many fields are emerging, growing, expanding, and redefining. The College Music Society has a history of recognizing changes in music fields in higher education at its meetings and through its publications. Ethnomusicology is certainly among the faster changing music fields in the last half century. Now seems to be an ideal time for CMS to offer a special avenue for scholars to clarify ethnomusicology then, now, and into the future, as it pertains to scholarship, performance, and teaching.

I have the privilege to work with a group of outstanding ethnomusicologists for this special issue, which is packed with some of the most experienced, insightful, interesting, and innovative scholarships in the field. It includes decades of experience shared by Bruno Nettl in his “second thoughts,” Ruth Stone in her tracing of the development of the field, and Ted Solís in his focus on performance perspectives. It also includes three fully loaded papers, each extending the path of ethnomusicology further by exploring the worlds of jazz (by Gabriel Solis) and children’s music (by Andrea Emberly) and by delving into the world of autism (by Michael Bakan). Furthermore, the Forum component includes a piece by Benjamin Koen on medical ethnomusicology. All of these papers collectively reflect a unique perspective on the current state of the field and hint at some impending potentials.

This special issue is an ambitious endeavor. It could not have completed without the support of many, especially the authors, the reviewers, CMS Forums editor Matthew Shevitz, CMS President Patricia Shehan Campbell, and the staff team at the CMS office. To each of them I express my most sincere gratitude.

C. Victor Fung, Editor
Scholarship and Research
College Music Symposium